It’s an SUV world, whether you like it or not. I’m not into SUVs, but the just-revealed 2025 BMW X3 is a fine way to make the drive less painful if you have utilitarian needs. BMW calls the new X3 an SAV (Sports Activity Vehicle) to make it more palatable but let’s not kid ourselves – this is an SUV, and one that will have to tide you over until the station wagon experiences a revival. Audi, you say? Yeah, they have some fantastic wagons, but this story is about a Bimmer so simmer down!
The 2025 BMW X3 features a new exterior design language that thankfully does not resemble some of the newer BMW models we’ve seen on the road. The proportions of the X3 will seem familiar, but the sculpting and surfacing look modern. That may sound vague and trite but glance at the pictures and then send in your recommendations for better adjectives. The 2025 X3 is 1.3 inches longer than the outgoing X3, while width has increased 1.1 inches. Height has sunk by an inch.
The trademark kidney grille is different, but not recent-BMW different so wipe that sweat from your brow. The diagonal bars are a “fresh touch,” though it could appear polarizing to those hung up on tradition (as if BMW has followed tradition these days). There’s even an available BMW Iconic Glow contour lighting that “forms a continuous line around each element of the grille.”
Upon introduction, there will be two models: the four-cylinder X3 30 xDrive and the six-cylinder X3 M50 xDrive. The naming system is annoying, to be sure, but this is not a new phenomenon at BMW. Both feature a 48V mild hybrid system, which should not be a surprise. The smaller of the two features a rev-happy 2.0-liter TwinPower Turbo inline-four that “boasts instantaneous power delivery” and includes the Miller cycle as one of its features. Maximum output is 255 horsepower between 4,700-6,500 rpm and 295 ft-lb peak torque between 1,600-4,500 rpm, helping achieve a 0-60 sprint in 6.0 seconds. The 3.0-liter straight-six also features turbocharging *thanks to M TwinPower Turbo tech), Miller cycle, and includes Adaptive M Sport suspension, plus so much more but we’re already replete with tech talk. Power output is a robust 393 horses between 5,200-6,250 rpm, with peak torque of 428 ft-lb between 1,800-4,800 rpm.
BMW claims the equipment specification for your basic X3 is now more generous. The advanced digitalization and new BMW iDrive with QuickSelect (based on BMW Operating System 9) may have something to do with it, but we are not sure how because we don’t know what it all means. The same holds true for Parking Assistant – we tried to figure it out from the below paragraph from the press release, but we have been left dumbfounded:
The new BMW X3 offers a broad range of standard and optional systems for semi-automated driving and parking. It is equipped as standard with Forward Collision Mitigation, Lane Keeping Assistant and Speed Limit Info, along with the Driving Assistant including Active Blind Spot Detection and manual Speed Limit Assistant. The Parking Assistant, now standard, incorporates features such as the Backup Assistant and a Rear View Camera.
There also is an optional Parking Assistant Professional Package that does more than sense surrounding vehicles per Parking Assistant. The difference is that the optional system uses markings on the street and the curb. In addition, you can use your smartphone and My BMW app to control parking ingress and egress while outside the car. It’s possibly the most expensive remote-control car ever.
Inside, the BMW Curved Display, BMW Interaction Bar, flat-bottomed steering wheel, and new gear toggle are the “cockpit’s modern take on hallmark BMW driver-focused design.” Standard are electrically adjustable heated seats in Perforated Veganza, which sounds like an Italian vegan product you can eat. The dashboard is even available with a woven fabric made from recycled polyester with a knitted texture. Los Angeles, your car has arrived!
We don’t see the need to switch from CarPlay, but you do have the opportunity to exploit the functionality of BMW Maps if you wish. It’s a cloud-based system that allows for real-time updates as you move along. An optional BMW Live Cockpit Professional includes a heads-up display and an Augmented View function that adds a live video stream in the navigation map to assist with your navigation.
“With major improvements in efficiency and dynamic performance,” the 2025 BMW X3 in all its iterations is bound to be the ideal urban assault vehicle for enthusiasts from sea to shining sea. The biggest caveat is the price for both: X3 30 xDrive will start at $49,500, and the X3 M50 xDrive is another $14,600. It seems everything is expensive in this post-pandemic world we live in, but current prices are in a similar ballpark. Is your interest piqued? Then the moment for the 2025 BMW X3 to hit dealerships will be easy to remember because it’s during the fourth quarter of the calendar year, just like the olden days.
Just when you thought the iconic kidney in front couldn’t get any worse; it did.